Review : Joker (2019)
Cesar Romero transformed the character from an idea on a page to a villain on the screen. Jack Nicholson made the character cool. Mark Hamill gave the performance that most fans resonate with to this day. Heath Ledger pushed the boundaries of method acting, tainting the character with real life tragedy. Jared Leto made a mockery of the character. If the early critical and audience reactions mean anything, Joaquin Phoenix may soon be king of the iconic titular character of his latest film, Joker.
Aspiring comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) spends his days as a clown for hire at Ha-Ha’s, a day-labor company where Fleck floats from gig to gig picking up a fast buck. After being attacked by a group of kids, Arthur’s co-worker Randall (Glenn Fleshler) gives him a gun so that he can protect himself. When not working, Arthur cares for his sick mother Penny Fleck (Frances Conroy), who spends her time watching late-night TV host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) and writing mysterious letters to billionaire Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen). After meeting single mother Sophie (Zazie Beetz) and inviting her to a comedy show, Arthur is soon fired from his job when a gun falls out of his pant leg during a performance at a children’s hospital. While riding home from his firing, Arthur is accosted by three businessmen on the subway, and in an act of self-defense turned murder, he kills all three. The killing gives Arthur a sense of purpose and self-understanding that he had yet to experience, sending him on a path of chaos and destruction, all in the name of further self-understanding.
Joker is an incredibly unique approach to an iconic character, and a breath of fresh air in terms of a character study in terms of execution. Due to the history of the Joker character in terms of his clear actions set against his purposely vague origin, we are presented with what I’ve dubbed a ‘front-loaded backstory’, where we are searching for starting points to understand and connect to the Joker moments we know so well. Much of that is presented in terms of Arther Fleck’s mental disorder that he shares with his mother, his mother’s deception in regards to her connection with Thomas Wayne and Arthur’s familial origins, and how Arthur views society at large. His laugh is connected to his disorder, his garb and clown makeup is attributed to his former job and comedic aspirations, and his undying connection to Batman is further enhanced due to a purposefully messy origin story. His nihilistic nature is really what is focused on and explored in Joker, as Fleck learns that his wiring causes him to find pleasure in what should be pain, while simultaneously inspiring many in similar positions to take to the streets in protest of the same things that scare and sadde Fleck.
The world that Todd Phillips creates was the most fascinating part of the film, in my opinion. The classic Warner Brothers logo and titling make the film feel old, as well as the color timing and some of the costuming, but there are many modern day elements present as well, like the Wayne subway system or the graffiti found throughout the city. Gotham and Arkham Asylum are both mentioned directly, but there are many heavy allusions to New York as well : the sanitation workers strike, the rat epidemic, and Fleck’s bizarro-world Donald Goines style killing all echo New York more so than fictional Gotham. Wall Street is even mentioned directly in regards to the three Wayne Enterprises workers. There is also a nice mix of direct and indirect (in my opinion) references to a handful of films... Taxi Driver and You Were Never Really Here need no explanation, nor does The King of Comedy (which works subtly due to the Fleck character, and directly due to Robert De Niro appearing in both films). Some of the more unique references, however, are found when we take a closer look at Fleck... his connection with his mother and their fascination with TV gave me Requiem for a Dream feels. His delusional nature and the way he projects his thoughts onto the world felt similar to Jacob’s Ladder at times. Even Fleck’s self-aggrandizing dances, specifically the one he does in the bathroom after finding his power in the wake of killing the Wayne Enterprises workers, gave me feels of John Cusack’s dance he does for Catherine Keener after bedding her in Being John Malkovich. All of this texture, combined with the blurring of lines between Gotham and New York, is really what makes this film work.
On a technical level, this film is an astonishing achievement for Phillips, and one that shows incredible growth as a director. The dark, reality-based humor from some of his lighter films is present, but the laser focus on it puts it front and center as the driving force that inspires his Fleck character. The brooding score is offset by unique, upbeat music cues, bringing a manic-depressive feel to the soundtrack of the film. Phillips uses EXTREMELY subtle touches to differentiate between Joker’s real and delusional moments, but the subtlety is so nuanced that it is not always immediately obvious in regards to the nature of what we’re seeing. Joker’s wardrobe and makeup dance around the traditional presentation of the iconic comic and film character for the majority of the film, eventually landing on something that is close enough to the standard presentation, while still being unique to the world created by Phillips for Joker. The textured city, as well as the unclear time/era of the film due to allusions to real moments in New York history, gives the narrative an uncanny valley feel while we search for something distinguishing to hang onto the film in terms of era and location.
While many have been surprised by the depth of Joaquin Phoenix’s performance, it seems to me that he channeled the best parts of his performances in The Master and You Were Never Really Here in order to hone on in the troubled persona that alludes to the creation of the Joker. Robert De Niro brings the charm of a late night host and comedian that translates into a sort of fatherly inspiration for the Fleck character, paralleling the characters as diametric opposites, and fueling the fire for their eventual meeting. Frances Conroy is a living mirror to hold up against Phoenix in terms of the troubled mindstate he portrays, and the possibility/inevitability of his future. Zazie Beatz is used mostly in an accessory manner, but her presence helps stir the pot of confusion in terms of reality and delusion, based on her demeanor. Brett Cullen brings a darker, sinister and less humane feel to the Wayne patriarch, symbolizing human greed and power more so than class and admirable qualities. Glenn Fleshler allows himself to wallow in a swinging, two-face nature that sways from ‘friend’ to ‘foe’, sometimes within the same conversation, towards the Fleck character and his coworkers. Bill Camp and Shea Whigham get to dive into the old school NYPD detective energy, channeling films like The French Connection despite their small role. Brief appearances by Marc Maron, Leigh Gill, Josh Pais, Brian Tyree Henry, Douglas Hodge, Bryan Callen and Justin Theroux (uncredited) round things out.
I think due to my personal connection with Heath Ledger’s career (and my personal dislike of it), and the way he won my respect in his portrayal of the Joker, he will always be my choice for the best. That being said, Joker is a true shining achievement on the level of Logan in terms of how it takes a superhero/comic property and turns it into a gripping, emotional film. As much as I’d like to see a Joaquin Phoenix-style Joker butt heads with a Robert Pattison-portrayed Batman, I am willing to accept this project as the beautiful one-off that it has been advertised to be. Definitely worth seeing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes some noise when awards season arrives.
